About
this poem, Kat writes us, “Originally, I wrote it about a human being.
Now, I have come to recognize the Real Love that it is really about and
Whose work it really is. And so, having received it from God, I offer it
to God, and from There, to everyone.”

Your
Love is the blessing of the day.
It joins the soft morning light
And opens my eyes to different visions.

It travels with me through the day
The angel on my shoulder
Who takes my heart dancing
With the wind in the trees.

It lays its hand on my head
In benediction each evening
With the surest of touches
And sings sweet dreams
To my Soul.

Conscious Living is Staying Awake

In
contributing this piece to TZF, Kat described it simply as “a letter
I sent to a friend”. Lucky friend.

Life is
like a cross-country train trip. We all start the trip eager to observe
and learn everything we can. But any trip can develop problems, can become
inconvenient and uncomfortable, tiring and tedious. It’s easy to lose our
enthusiasm, and too often we come to focus on the drawbacks of the journey.
Some travelers come to see only this aspect. So, they immerse themselves
in some other activity, to make the time pass more quickly. They’ll take
a book along, so that they can read. They’ll absorb themselves with a briefcase
of work from the office. They’ll sew, or knit, or crochet. They’ll listen
to music on a Walkman. Pretty much any activity will do that will occupy
their minds, because they don’t see any need to pay attention to how they
got from there to here.

Another strategy often used on such a journey
is sleeping. Have you ever noticed how many people on a long trip fall asleep?
As the wheels clack over the tracks, the repetition produces a steady cadence.
The rocking and swaying of the car is not unlike the movement of a cradle.
The effect can be mind numbing, and many travelers not only succumb to it,
they seek it.

Now, let’s say something unexpected occurs
that shifts the awareness of the travelers – a sudden application of the
train’s brakes, or a startlingly loud noise that draws their attention back
to their surroundings. Those who have chosen to stay awake and involved
have a much clearer idea about what’s going on, and are more likely to respond
calmly. Those who have occupied their minds with other things are startled,
but react with short-term discomfort, and before too long they adjust to
the altered situation. But those who have been asleep are alarmed and frightened.
It takes them much longer to realize that nothing cataclysmic has happened,
that they are safe and secure, that the journey will go on as intended.

We each set off on the adventure and discovery
of life, in pretty much the same state. We all embark from the same station.
We all travel along the same set of tracks. We are all, ultimately, headed
for the same destination. The only difference between us is which type of
traveler we are at any given point in time. I think we all start off as
sleepers (who either don’t hear the call to awareness, or don’t recognize
it). Along the way, our awareness is forced to shift, but since this new
perception is frequently inconvenient and uncomfortable, we settle into
being non-participants (who either deny the call, or resist responding to
it). Once we give up the denial and resistance, our desire for self-realization
leads us to become alert travelers (who revel in the lessons of the journey).

Conscious living is staying awake and aware
while we’re on this train-trip. The only difference between us, my friend,
is that I woke up a little sooner than you. I’ve spent more time looking
around, been more aware of my progress on this journey, and am better able
to measure the distance traveled. I am more accepting of the changes because
I’ve been awake. You are alarmed and frightened, because you’ve been asleep.
Give yourself some time to adjust. I understand your desire to go back to
sleep. But once awakened, I don’t think we ever regain the same level of
oblivion. And as for trying to disembark, any attempt to get off a moving
train isn’t likely to be successful. And even if you do somehow manage it,
it will just leave you stranded in the middle of nowhere.

The challenge of this journey is that it
will never really be over. And that’s the fundamental beauty of this cosmic
itinerary. We’re still on the same set of tracks, moving in the same direction,
travelling at the same speed. I’ll be more than happy to share everything
I’ve observed with you. Now that you’re awake and aware, once you let go
of the denial and resistance, we can travel the rest of the way together.